The Reluctant Whore

Today in Extraordinarily Odd

The first panda to be born in Europe in 25 years was born and it’s name is Yang Yang. The great thing about NEW pandas is that they’re totally media savvy. They know how to work it for the camera. A few years ago Pandas were married in Thailand and it was a media spectacle. It was also presumably a slow news week. Regardless, since the retirement of little Knut from the Berlin Zoo, there’s been a real gap in Europe for a startlingly cute, inquisitive and small bear and now, this new panda has filled the gap. And thank goodness. [source]

What the hell is with all the coverage of world leaders with no shirts on? Putin takes his top off and suddenly, because he’s a world leader he’s also now an object of universal desire. Now, Nicolas Sarkozy is photographed kayaking and “Paris Match” the magazine that initially printed the image photoshopped his love handles out of the picture. Because apparently politically powerful love handles aren’t in at the moment. The source for this post said:
"The mag justified the touchup by saying Sarkozy's awkward position in the boat made the bulge look bigger than it was."
Gee, its lucky Yeltsin and Arafat are dead. Those two were pretty damned rotunned; they would have had a hard time not being understandably torn apart by Fashion Editors. You can just imagine a forlorn and insecure Boris Yeltsin pushing away a plate of sour cream laden Borscht after a particularly stern meeting with Anna Wintour. [source]

A paper in Malaysia has been in trouble for publishing a picture of Jesus Christ smoking a cigarette. They have published a full page apology. The Christians still aren’t on their game like they used to be. Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, who earlier criticized the image as a "desecration," accepted the newspaper's apology. So, Christians did complain but it really seems phoned in. If this were an image of Allah smoking a cigarette, you can BET there would have been hell to pay in a second. Buildings would have burned to the ground, women would have been eaten. Best quote ever was:
“The graphic artist, whom we have already suspended, didn't see the cigarette. It was a mistake."
Because looking at visual details in images is way above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to being a graphic artist. They’re not even trying to deny it. [source]